Announcement
Researchers from history, archaeology, environmental and climate sciences of the Universities of Bern and Yale organize the Interdisciplinary Conference ‘Climate of the past and societal responses to environmental changes.’
In 2014, the University of Bern, in collaboration with the Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research (OCCR) and PAGES (Past Global Changes), organized the 'Culture, Climate and Environment Interactions at Prehistoric Wetland Sites' conference in Bern. Similarly, in 2019, Vrije Universiteit Brussel and Yale University, New Haven, came together to host the 'Climate and Society in Ancient Worlds: Diversity in Collapse and Resilience' conference in Brussels. While the 2014 and 2019 conferences primarily delved into prehistoric sites and the ancient history of the Mediterranean, respectively, the upcoming 2024 conference aims to provide a more comprehensive framework, exploring the broader theme of societal responses to historical climate changes and the evolution of societies, institutions, and economies in both prehistoric and historical contexts.
Key topics are:
- Climate and environmental changes in the societal context.
- Social vulnerability, and resilience to climatic change.
- Spatial and temporal scales.
- Novel methods and approaches, including computational methods, to better understand human-environmental systems.
Time and Venue:
The conference will take place in Bern, Switzerland, 5-8 June 2024, University of Bern, UniS building, near university main building, city and railway station.
Conference and program structure
The oral sessions will feature invited keynote speakers and presentations by speakers selected upon an open call. Poster-sessions will include short oral presentations in the plenary. The conference program will be enriched with pre-conference workshops, ensuring a comprehensive and enriching experience for all participants.
- Wednesday, June 05: Registration opens 10:00, pre-conference workshops 14.00-16:00, opening evening lecture 18:00, followed by a social event.
- Thursday, June 06, 9:00-17:00 Conference with keynotes, oral and poster presentations. Evening: visit of the Bern Historic Museum Special exhibition.
- Friday, June 07, 9:00-17:00: Conference with keynotes, oral and poster presentations.
- Saturday, June 08, 9:00-14:00: Conference with keynotes, oral and poster presentations. 18:00: Conference dinner.
Pre-conference Workshop
‘Archaeologies of Climate Change: interdisciplinary connections, current debates and future directions. This workshop seeks to comprehensively explore the diverse and dynamically evolving research landscape on climate change, spanning all historical periods from the Paleolithic to early modern times. We aim to foster discussions on interdisciplinary connections among paleoclimate sciences, archaeology, history, and heritage studies. The goal is to identify synergies, address research gaps, gain insights into current challenges, and strategically chart future research directions.
Confirmed Keynote Speakers
Dr. Eugenia M. Gayo, Universidad de Chile, Chile
Prof. Dr. Michele R. Buzon, Purdue University, USA
Dr. Baihui Duan, University of Oxford, United Kingdom
Prof. Dr. Chaochao Gao, Zhejiang University, China
Dr. Erika Weiberg, Uppsala University, Sweden
Dr. Adolfo Gil, National Scientific and Technical Research Council Argentina, Argentina
Dr. Caroline Heitz, University of Bern, Switzerland
Dr. Martin Hinz, University of Bern, Switzerland
Prof. Dr. Isabelle Holland-Lulewicz, Pennsylvania State University, USA
Prof. Dr. Heli Huhtamaa, University of Bern, Switzerland
Dr. Matthew J. Jacobson, Uppsala University, Sweden
Dr. Claudio Latorre, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Chile
Prof. Dr. Francis Ludlow, University of Dublin, Ireland
Prof. Dr. Joseph Manning, Yale University, USA
Dr. Jennifer Marlon, Yale University, USA
Dr. Johannes Preiser-Kapeller, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Austria
Prof. Dr. Felix Riede, Aarhus University, Denmark
Dr. Fabian Rey, University of Basel, Switzerland
Prof. Dr. Michael Sigl, University of Bern, Switzerland
Prof. Dr. Ariane Burke, University of Montreal, Canada
Organizing Committee
Prof. Dr. Joseph Manning, Yale University, New Haven, USA (Co-Chair)
Prof. Dr. Albert Hafner, University of Bern, Switzerland (Co-Chair)
Prof. Dr. Martin Grosjean, University of Bern, Switzerland
Dr. Caroline Heitz, University of Bern, Switzerland
Dr. Martin Hinz, University of Bern, Switzerland
Prof. Dr. Heli Huhtamaa, University of Bern, Switzerland
Prof. Dr. Christian Rohr, University of Bern, Switzerland
Prof. Dr. Willy Tinner, University of Bern, Switzerland
Conference language and publication:
English. Publishing of the conference contributions is planned.
Conference fee
The conference fee will cover documentation, coffee breaks, and the opening social event.
Early registration: December 6, 2023 – January 31, 2024
Standard registration: February 1, 2024 – April 30, 2024
Late registration May 1, 2024 – May 31, 2024
Fee Early registration: 100 CHF (BA/MA students: 30 CHF)
Standard registration: 150 CHF (BA/MA students: 50 CHF)
Fee: Late registration: 200 CHF (BA/MA students: 70 CHF)
Call for papers
Abstracts for both oral and poster presentations, limited to 500 words, must be submitted to the conference organizers no later than February 18th, 2024 (Call for Paper extended). Abstracts will be reviewed, and authors will receive notification of the acceptance status of their abstracts at latest by March 1st, 2024. Please submit your abstracts via the Internet Conftool.
Preconference Workshop
Wednesday, June 05, 14–16h. Participants are kindly requested to submit a 300-word abstract and prepare a concise 3-minute statement on their research in this field, emphasizing methodologies and case studies.
